







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| What kind of music do you like the most? | |
| Yeah, he is keen on moving house... | |
| No, what is that? | |
| How many people live in this house? | |
| With gas stoves, someone can leave the gas on, it's too dangerous! | |
| Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom. | |
| Here we go, I'm sure it means they pay much less. | |
| No, actually, he is properly toilet trained. | |
| Anyway, do you live around here, too? | |
| My housemates don't clean anything in the kitchen. | |
| You know, I usually have some early morning lessons. | |
| I'm so sorry about the inconvenience. | |
| I think Diego and I are the only smokers in the house. | |
| Oh look at this big boy, he gets bigger everytime I see him! | |
| Hey, which is the closest station to China Town? | |
| Ta-ta here it is... | |
| Congratulations... But is Pogo a pet's name? | |
| Taking Bear out usually takes me an hour. | |
| It's the second one from the top. | |
| I think so, at least there is no aggression. | |